Very fresh from the factory. A bit of cloudy medium yellow, with perpetual white head. Hop aroma is significant. Medium plus mouthfeel, a dangerous drinker and good and full IBU.suitable carbation. A paradigm shift for Rock Art and unique.Double ESB.

Lightly foggy apricot with a slight reddish blush. Atop the beer sits barely two fingers of ivory colored foam that is firm and bubbly rather than creamy. It's surprisingly sticky, though, and is doing a tremendous job in the lace department. Hop resins perhaps?

I think it's pretty safe to assume that the hop bill contains Magnum and Tomahawk (Columbus) at least. And I don't even speak Latin. Although the nose could be a little more aggressive, it's aggressive enough. Buttery pale malt is balanced by hops that are citric, herbal and earthy in turn.

Magnamus ete Tomahawkus does what it sets out to do. It's an impressively bitter (all 80 IBUs are present and accounted for), high ABV ale with flavors that are typically associated with the ESB style. Given the superscript '3' that appears in the name, I assume that the boys at Rock Art think of it as a triple ESB. Or would that be an Imperial ESB?

An adequate amount of pale malt (no hint of caramel malt) holds down the bottom end, while lemon citric, grassy hops cavort on the top end. I can't quite put my finger on it, but that 'extra certain something' that all good beer has is missing. I like what I'm tasting, I'm just not blown away by the magnificence of it. For some reason, I have a feeling that this is a beer that would shine on-tap.

Great job on the alcohol masking. A minor sting is present on the finish, but other than that it's smooth sailing. The mouthfeel is okay for a 5.0% ale, but not for an 8.0% beast. It's a trifle thin and could stand to have more invigorating carbonation.

This 'Extreme' beer is the best of the three Rock Art offerings that I've had so far. I'm sure that has a lot to do with the fact that I love me some hops. If you're a bona fide hophead who's a quart low on alpha acids, give Magnumus ete Tomahawkus ESB a whirl. It's pretty damn close to pretty good beer.

Not your typical ESB, This one poured out with a nice deep orange color with a cream colored head on top. The smell of this beer was definitely dry hopped and gives off plenty of floral hop aromas in the nose. The taste of the beer was nice but again not a traditional ESB flavor. Big amounts of bitter flavors dominate the maltiness of this brew. The mouthfeel of the beer is medium bodied with a nice smooth texture with a sharp crisp finish to it. Overall I enjoyed this beer quite a bit but if you're expecting a true ESB style beer look elsewhere because this one is more like an IPA.

I got this one as part of a BOF recently. Having only had a couple other offerings from Rock Art in the past, I jumped at the chance to try another. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed 08/23/2009.

Appearance 4 - Very nice pour here, deep copper in color with a nice head of white coming up and over the top quite nicely I have to say. Rich side glass lacing that leaves spider like webs all over the sides and bottom of the glass.

Aroma 4 - Lots of caramel malts right up from, balanced well against a pine tar like touch. As it warms some more grassy and herbal notes begin to show their nose and provide some really nice balance to the overall profile. As it warms more and more come through and it actually picks up a great deal of hoppiness by the end.

Taste 4 - This one was much bigger then I thought it would be if I am being honest. Huge malt bomb at first, followed the aroma quite nicely, becoming hoppy and bitter as I progressed though. Nice touch of boozy in it as well now. Overall very nicely done, well balanced and nice and strong.

Feel 4 - Cannot really complain about this at all really, quite solid I have to say and really very well done. Rich carbonation and a medium feel, a bit thick toward the end, but overall it was very nicely done I have to say.

Drinkability 4.5 - While being a bit up there in ABV, it was still very drinkable. The flavor really grew on me after a while and I really found myself liking this one more and more with each passing sip.

Overall - Not what I was expecting but very, very solid. I would have no issue at all with trying this one again any day, this was one of the highlights of the weekend for me

a colossal esb, as hoppy as any ipa, but still very much done in the English tradition. bronze in color, mostly clear, and holding a white head for quite awhile. also a real affordable bomber around 5 bucks, super fair here. an aroma of grassy bittering hops in aggressive proportion, and enough carbonation to tickle my nostrils as I sniff. malt is big too, some probably 60 crystal, as well as some maris otter or the like, its bready and fat I the middle, and a higher gravity English ale yeast dries it up pretty good. the hops are center stage throughout though, and the balance that the style usually demonstrates is ignored. that's okay through, the magnum is a fun varietal not often used in such hefty doses and I think the result is good. rock art has evolved nicely over the years, and this extreme series is all worth checking out. love the hoppy Vermont stuff, and rock art deserves more attention for its hoppy beers. top quality.

A: Golden. Hazy. White head. OK retention but good lacing.S: Hops dominate over a basic malt base, citrusy, resinous, grassy, leafy and herbal.T: it appears as more of an IPA than an ESB. There's no real caramel to it. Good hop flavors though: Grassy, leafy, citrusy. Solidly bitter. Aggressive even, given the malt backing. Finishes dry and hoppy. M: Medium bodied. Median carbonation.D: Average. It's a big beer but it doesn't really feel it. If it actually is 8%, and I doubt it, it will slow you down without giving you a real run for your money.

A: The beer is a deep orange/amber color, with a large foamy off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a think lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of floral hops, caramelized malts and some citrus.

T: The taste starts with a strong burst of hops bitterness that is quickly followed by some citrus and caramel sweetness. Although the sweetness isn't that strong, if the label didn't tell me otherwise I would think this beer was a 2IPA. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and there's a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bitter and hoppy.

D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, good kick, nice representation of style, this is a good stronger than average beer with some good substance to it that makes it worth drinking for a long time.

Pours a clear amber with a big foamy white head that nearly fills have the glass. It eventually settles down to the point where I can fill it up more. Huge lacing that covers the glass in a sticky web. Aroma is kind of subdued. Mostly hoppy citrus notes and some light tones of sweet malt.

Taste is extremely sweet up front with caramel malt that gives way to a very aggressive flood of strong floral citrus and hop bitterness. The bitterness is very biting and lingers on the tongue for a while. The extremeness of the malt and hops does tame down some and feels more balanced as it warms. Mouthfeel is a beefy medium body that takes on an almost viscous feel at times.

I'm not really sure what to think of this "ESB Squared" experiment from Rock Art. The thick body and in your face hops and malt definitely made for a tough drinking experience at times. A lot tougher anyway than most of the Double IPAs that this seems to be trying to imitate. Maybe a little more balance would have helped make this a more enjoyable encounter.

I have to admit that for some reason I purposefully avoided anything from this brewery for quite some time. And then I said to myself: "Hey self. Maybe it's time to try something from this brewery."

Pours a foggy orange brown with a crème head. Nose is hopped. Comes off as a resin-like and very mildly citric edge. Flavor is like a mix of Double IPA and ESB. Hearty hops with a perfume like edge to it. A noticeable bitter tone hits on the end as well. Pretty full carbonation and a well bodied liquid aspect make it nice to drink. I have to agree with Ding on this one and say that this really does seem more IPA-ish that ESB-ish. It's nice-ish to drink-ish, but the whole ESB cubed-ish thing just doesn't really work out.

I won this at a raffle during my homebrew club's meeting. Poured from the 12oz brown into my duvel tulip.

A - a caramel colored liquied with reddish hues and translucent clarity. The cap has 2.5 fingers of rocky beige w/ large bubbles and rising carbonation is visible w/ some particulate of yeast evident. The lace clings in a holey film on the glass.

M - The feel has a fruity tang w/ subtle yet smooth caramel and piney bitterness from the hops w/ light yeast nuttiness and textures of mild tannic acid in the finish

T - I found the malt flavor to be subtle w/ mild wood flavor and slight bitter herbal taste. The ale has a light pine tinge from the hops and mild apple rind from the yeast ew/ a mild bit of grapefruit rind and notes of nuts in the malt w/ gentle almond like sweetness and touch of toast. The hops are more bitter than juicy and dry w/ tea-like astringency and the alcohol and malt balance is slightly warming w/ dry bitter finishing flavor

D - A pretty drinkable ale, however I could probably find many that are more drinkable in this category - I consider this less and ESB and more in the strong ale vein. It probably has a couple months age on it, but it didn't really hinder the hop flavor that much and I do think it is a relatively easy quaff for the 8% it packs - a nice balance compared to others of its ilk.

Pours hazed/cloudy golden with a one-finger+ foamy white head that becomes rocky in its descent. Some lacing sticks.

The smell is lemony/citric with some biscuity breadiness.

The taste is of a dry bitterness - citric/lemony. A quick flash of alcohol at the start leads to more dryness, though it is very well-hidden after first sip or two. It's hoppy, for sure, - lemony, slightly leafy, with just a nod of pale malt in the finish to round it out. If the ocassional watery/thin gaps were filled in (more malt? bigger yeast strain? not sure - but, there are gaps in the flavor and the feel - this could really be something great. As it is, it's certainly decent or better.

I loved where this beer was going, but not thrilled where it ended. The alcohol was covered (esp. after the start)- nice hoppiness, but a bit more body and a tie-in between spaces, would go a long way.

Fresh hop aroma with some light malt on the side. A little alcohol warmth and some yeast smells as well.

Extreme, indeed. Lots of potent bittering hop--far more than the smell suggests. Lip puckering bitter aftertaste from the bitterness. This is not a balanced beer--for hop heads only. Full bodied with an appropriate amount of bubbles.

Too much of a good thing? Although I love hops, I also like to have some balance. This is a bold beer.

The beer pours a dark gold/amber color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice pale and bisquit malt scent. It's sweet smelling with some mild bready notes. The hops are present, but take a back seat to the malts. The taste is good as well. It has a solid malt bill that's big on caramel and bisquit malts. It's bitter, but not overly so; at least it's balanced. It goes down easy with a piney hop finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking beer. I'm not sure it's the best ESB, but it's complex, bitter, and quite enjoyable.

This came with a fluffy, light-tan head. The color was a very cloudy (unfiltered, I was told) deep-amber. The nose was rich with hops, accompanied by a lightly malty sweetness. The mouthfeel was medium, with a piney, sticky, resinous (hey, what am I reviewing here?) hop presence. This is the type of beer that will remind even a novice as to which family of plants from which the hop is derived. I was further told that you have to like Tomahawk hops, or you will be sucking wind before your first sip. The disclaimer on the bottle said it all. Yes, I had it on tap, but I also looked at the bottle. The finish was where the malt really came in. Tasty? Oh, yeah, for a hophead. More? Well, at 8% ABV, I had to go easy.

Pours a clear amber color with a thick, foamy beige head. Aroma mostly consist of floral hops with a very slight malt presence. Flavor is once again dominated by hops, but not too bitter. Slightly sweet with a dry hoppy finish.

Much thanks to grassrootsvt for this bomber...
Appears a hazy, light gold with a small, soapy, white head that slowly fades out. Streaky lacing is left around the glass.
Smell is floral, perfumey, earthy, tea-like, and very English. There are mild notes of caramel malts behind all of the other sweet notes happening in the mix.
Taste is of the same mentioned aromas. Subtle citrus flavors seem to make their way in the mix.
Mouthfeel is bready, medium bodied, yeasty, with floral, and spicy earth notes running along the palate.